Archives

Psalm 16: The Path of Life

Psalm 16 points to Jesus' death and resurrection. It also points us to Him as the path of life, our inheritance, our everything. We examine the difference between the Israelite and Christian perspectives on this psalm as well as some of its cultural and linguistic nuances. We then stopped recording and prayed the Thursday Night Office for which this is the psalm.

Psalm 113: Praise God Who Descends to the Lowly and Psalm 147:12-20: Praise God Who is Doing Something Special

We began tonight's study with an outline of the rankings of liturgical days: Solemnities, Feasts, and Obligatory and Optional Memorials.

We continued with the burst of praise that is Psalm 113. We explained the meaning of the word Hallelujah and the reasons behind the different spellings and pronunciations. We looked at its cultural context amidst the return from the Babylonian exile and its praise of a God who is both transcendent and immanent. Finally, we discussed how a Jewish and Christian understanding of the reference the barren woman bringing forth children might be different.

We conclude with another explosion of praise — Psalm 147:12-20. We explain why the Divine Office starts in the middle of the psalm and its context around the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem with several references to the Book of Nehemiah. We end in appreciation of how what God is doing in Christianity is different than any other religion and how that is a source of our praise.

Rev 19:1-8 - The Bride Has Made Herself Ready

Tonight's study started with the background of the pictured destruction of Rome and the harlot upon the beast that set the stage for Revelation 19. We briefly discuss the word "Hallelujah" and its evolution into "Alleluia". We spend some time examining the idea of eternal punishment and what the earliest Church believed about it. We conclude with an exploration of the bride making herself ready.

Psalm 4: Recovering from Rebellion and Psalm 134: Bless God Through the Night

Tonight's study begins with Psalm 4 as a possible response of David to Absalom's rebellion. We branched into how we can and must find joy in our afflictions, digressed into one reason for intercessory prayer including prayer to Saints, and concluded with a discussion of complete trust in and surrender to the will of God.

We then continued on to Psalm 134 by first introducing the Songs of Ascents. We referenced the round the clock praise of God in the temple and its extension into our need and desire as a community to provide for those who today offer their lives in constant prayer and praise. With finished by dwelling on the deep intimacy we can have with God.

We then turned off the cameras and prayed Night Prayer of the vigil of All Saints which uses Pss 4 and 134 as the psalmody.

Psalm 15 - Who Can Dwell With God?

In this study, we begin by setting the context of Psalm 15 as David bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Zion. To do so, we spend time exploring the history of the Ark and its journey including the abuse of religion while the Ark is in Shiloh, the capture and return of the Ark, and the disturbing incident of Uzzah being killed for steadying the Ark during transport. This leads to a discussion on conscience. We then expound the psalm itself including the issues of "despising the reprobate" and not lending money at interest.

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